Wait for Me
by SilyaBeeodess
Summary: (Oneshot) Before his departure to a far off academy the following day, a young prince visits his distraught princess to assure her his heart will always reside with her no matter the distance... Tagged as a tragedy because we all know where this inevitably leads.


She was furious with him.

Of course she was. Despite how much Vanessa begged him not to go to law school, he was still leaving. To be honest, he felt guilty. He knew how much she didn't want him to leave and her mother had passed the previous year. Vanessa was a strong woman-she carried herself so well it was as though she didn't even think to grieve, even as he offered her a shoulder to cry on-but what if she felt he was abandoning her? What if she needed him?

The prince watched as one of the servants carried part of his belongings out of his room, down to the carriage that would depart the next day. Then, with the exception of one holiday, he would be gone for a whole term. Away from his family, his kingdom, and his princess. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to last the semester as long as she could.

He had to remind himself that he was leaving for both their sakes. Subcon was gaining notoriety, but was still very small. It was known best for its legends and the spirits that wandered its forest, but that could only carry the kingdom so far. Their parents had made their mark pushing trade further than it had ever gone with other lands. It was up to them to continue a prosperous legacy, making peace with both the spirits and their neighbors combined. Their people had already offered up their faith in them. He had to become a ruler worth that belief.

He only hoped it wouldn't cost him. The young queen had a temper and knew how to hold a grudge. She was everything to him though, and who knew what could happen in the time they'd be apart. Just because their own territory was small didn't mean that another lord from some distant place wouldn't arrive to steal his princess away in his absence. Devoted as she was to their relationship, if she _did_ find someone else, he'd have no right to speak against it either. Not when he made the choice to go...

After he'd told her his application had been accepted, nothing beyond giving up on the school entirely could pacify her. She'd tried convincing him with the usual: How much she'd miss him and how much he was hurting her, how badly she needed him, how it wouldn't hurt him to wait a while longer, term after term after term... But he couldn't wait this time. Not only could he learn from the best in law at this academy, he could make connections for Subcon through his fellow students; prodigies, scholars of renown, and other nobles like him.

He hoped she could understand in time.

His parents already knew that he planned to spend the latter half of the day with her. After the last bag was packed, the prince darted as fast as he could out of the palace; down the forest's familiar, dusty roads to the Subcon village; and off to the manor where he knew she'd be waiting. While Vanessa enjoyed strolling around the forest, she rarely left the manor when she was upset.

He knew she was still _extremely_ upset, but he had to see her anyway. If he was going to be gone for so long, he had to make sure that they had a few, pleasant hours to last them until he returned. Somehow, he would get her to smile just one more time before he left and imprint it to memory.

He didn't like gambles, but he had one ace up his sleeve he _prayed_ would work. If it didn't, it could spell out their futures down two diverging paths he didn't want to run into...

He found her around the back of the manor. There was a tray of half-cooled tea on the veranda, a strewn about croquet set in the open field, and the small garden was still bare from an early spring planting. Vanessa had her back turned to him, looking over the young crops. He noticed a thin layer of frost coated over a section of them. It was sunny out, but had been cloudy earlier in the day and it was possible that a cold front had passed during the night. Either way, he hoped they hadn't been frozen. If it was that cold this far into spring, it didn't bode well for farming that year.

He tried to be stealthy, watching his step through the grass until he stopped directly behind her, "Care for some company, princess?"

If he wasn't already a nervous wreck, he might've noticed the subtle blaze of red that tinged her normally emerald eyes. But he didn't. It faded away before he could, after she snapped her gaze over her shoulder-caught off guard-and then calmed down with a resentful scowl pressed on her lips. She drew her fists at her side, the fabric of her dress knotting between her fingers. "Not from you," she spat, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Not until morning," he answered, inwardly flinching at the hostile question. He shuffled to her side. "I was hoping you'd see me off..."

"I was hoping you'd come to your senses," she fired back, "What do you need that dusty, old school for anyway? Your father always hired the best tutors. You know your way around a courtroom better than most judges." She scuffed the earth with her heel, her gaze downcast, "I think you're making a mistake."

"It'd be a mistake if I didn't go. I've still got a lot to learn."

"So do you have something to prove then? So much that you'd leave me here alone?"

He drew his mouth in a firm line and swallowed hard. He didn't want to fight with her, not again. Already though, this was turning sour. Not a good start... "I talked to my parents. You know I'll write to you every day, but they promised me they'd check in on you. I know things still aren't easy, now that you're-"

She sharply cut him off, "But I want_ you! _ I don't need a sitter." She choked up a bit. "I need my prince..."

When she didn't face him, he reached out for her hand. At first, she pulled away. He hesitated, but as a long silence pulled between them, he tried a second time and found his fingers slowly looping through her own. He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Who knows how long they stood like that, how much he struggled to say something to her that he already hadn't several times over. Something that wouldn't start another argument or make her cry. He loved her smile: He wanted to treasure it always, not tear it away.

The wind tickled at their hair, toying with them. The sun hung low over the trees as evening neared. Slowly, as the prince struggled with words, her grip gradually began to tighten-to the point where he not only could feel her shaking, but felt bone scrape bone through flesh in an almost painful hold.

"Vanessa..." he sighed, rolling his shoulders to relieve the subtly building tension that dug into his back, "I told you, I'm not the man I want to be just yet. Not for the kingdom, not for you." He looked her in the eyes, wincing when he saw the conflicted pain in them, but pressed on, "_That's_ why I need to leave. Someday, when we rule together, I want to be someone you can be proud to have by your side."

"By my side...?" she echoed in a soft voice.

He bit back his tongue. Well... he'd gone and spoiled it, hadn't he? Not that he hadn't already been struggling to find the right words. He reminded himself that this was the plan anyway, to do this today. Reaching into his back pocket, the grass cushioning him as he knelt before her, he withdrew a small box. She took a small step back in surprise, a gloved hand tracing her lips as she held herself tightly with the other.

All of a sudden a lump formed in his throat, but he had to keep going. If he stopped talking and tried to recompose himself for even a second, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to say what he needed to. His whole body felt mechanical and he felt like he had to mentally _order_ himself to open the lid and show her the ring. "You may be queen now-you beat me there-but you have been and always will be my princess. And I _never_ want this fairytale we've written for ourselves to end. I know it's unfair to ask you to wait for me, but if you would... if you'll have me..."

He was fumbling to finish the line. _Why now?_ He could speak before a crowded courtroom, write a flawless contract, introduce himself to the fiercest of monarchs across the globe... so why was he struggling to pull this off?

She was crying now, her hand clamped over her mouth. It made it worse, but lucky for him, she answered before he had to ask, "Yes..."

She continued uttering that single word like a mantra, even as she dropped and enveloped her arms around him, crying into his shoulder. He froze for a moment, unsure what to do, but then it was like all the love he felt bubbled into his chest and he scooped her in his arms. As he lifted them both up, her lips soon found his, the taste of salt tickling his mouth as a few droplets fell onto his own face.

Her lips were cold. It made for a strange, but exhilarating feeling whenever they shared a kiss. Her hands were always cold too, a trait most of the women in her family bore. Although she always complained about it, he would tease her: _Cold hands, warm heart,_ so the saying went. Well, no chill could chase him away.

The young queen seemed almost dizzy with glee as she drew away from him, eyes wide as she clasped her cheeks and her mind raced. She was so ecstatic, she practically jumped back onto her own feet as she exclaimed, "Oh stars, I'm going to need to pick out a dress! A dress, and flowers, and invitations-!"

"It's a little early for all that, dear," he looked at her with a soft smile, "Remember, I still have to finish at the academy first."

At first she pouted at him, a spark in her steady gaze, but then she gave him a teasing, firm nod, "Then I'll go ahead and remodel the manor!" There was a strong certainty in her voice, as though she could already envision whatever changes she had planned. "We can decorate the third floor as you'd like it. Oh! And we'll need a nursery, you know. Mother's old room should be perfect! We can cut out a door and connect it to mine!"

The prince chuckled at that, watching as she twirled excitedly, swept away by dreams of the future. Again, a part of him felt that she was looking a little _too _far ahead, but he loved her enthusiasm. It was one of the traits that had drawn him to her from the start. And it made him happy, seeing her look forward to the years they would spend together.

For a moment, he wondered what it would be like if they did have a child someday. The idea of being a father made him nervous-somehow even more than running a kingdom did-but a part of him could see the first years teaching them to walk and other, little moments: Showing off his telescope and telling them stories about the various constellations, just as his father had shared with him; pulling them away from their tutors so that they could have their own studies together; dinner together as the three of them, gentle scoldings when both father and child tried to sneak off with some of Vanessa's cookies first...

Granted, he always pictured them moving into the castle when the time came, but while they could talk about that later, maybe Vanessa was right in this sense. Although their own marriage was still a while off, his own coronation would be around the same time: What they did for their personal lives would be greatly limited as the kingdom adjusted under their combined leadership. Besides that, who knew how... _early_, a baby could arrive in the meantime. It was better to be prepared.

It took a moment longer for her to actually calm down enough to slip the ring onto her finger. She admired it lovingly before leaning into his chest as he cradled her in his arms-his fingers running through the golden stream of her hair. Yes, for a time he would leave her, but at least she'd have the ring as a promise of his return. Even without it, she had to know he was already hers. If it would ease his princess's mind though, he wanted her to have it, even if the proposal was much earlier than he'd initially planned.

How he wanted to freeze this moment and make it last... At least he'd gotten her smile back, which he burned into his mind for the lonely days to come, knowing after that period they'd have their whole futures ahead of them.


End file.
